Intentional Ministry By, With, and For Older Adults

Live Online

EVENT DATE & DETAILS

Note: These workshops take place on Eastern Time (ET).

Wednesday
April 15, 2026

1:30 pm-3:00 pm

Thursday
April 16, 2026

5:30 pm-7:00 pm

While the congregations are beginning to recognize that there are vast numbers of older adults in their membership, sadly many of them have done virtually nothing to understand or to prepare for the demographic change taking place in our society and congregations. More people are living longer lives and in many cases, they are healthier, wealthier, and more active than previous generations.

Congregations that are equipped and empowered for this change are uniquely positioned to help older adults respond to the challenges of aging; to see the tremendous potentialities in the lives of older adults for making the congregation and its community better; and to assist older adults as they experience new meaning and purpose in their later lives.

Participants will learn:

About the demographic shift and why Older Adult Ministry is essential
The role of congregations in an aging society
The phases of aging/retirement in ministry
Various older adult ministry models and program ideas for ministry
How to begin and sustain intentional ministry by, with, and for older adults in your congregation

About the instructor

The Rev. Dr. Richard H. Gentzler, Jr. (Rick) is Director of Older Adult Ministries for the ENCORE Ministry Foundation, a ministry of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church. He provides consultation, training and support, and resource information for congregations and church leaders in aging and older adult ministries. Dr. Gentzler has over 45 years of experience in the field of religious gerontology and has written hundreds of articles and several books on aging, midlife, and older adult ministries. His most recent book is An Age of Opportunity: Intentional Ministry By, With, and For Older Adults.